PRESTON RENTALS BRINGS RETRACTABLE LOADING PLATFORM SYSTEM TO CANADA – CRANE & HOIST CANADA

A well-known and respected rental company has opened in Canada, expanding their global operations further into North America.

Their arrival has already made an impact, improving efficiencies and safety on construction projects across Canada.

For more than 50 years, Preston Rentals Group has been supplying equipment to the construction sector. The business began in the scaffolding and steel industry. Later, they expanded into material handling services and introduced the globally recognized and used SuperDeck Retractable Loading Platform System. About 25 years ago, Australia introduced these unique loading platforms, but they have only recently been brought to Canada.

“The SuperDeck system had been used in Australia for decades before expanding into the U.S. in the mid-2000s. The New Zealand market was introduced to the SuperDeck around 2016. In 2020 it started arriving in Canada,” said Mark Casey, General Manager of Preston Rentals Canada.

“It’s caught on quickly with some major players. Because there’s such a big market in Canada, it made sense to make a Canadian entity, rather than get equipment in from the U.S.”

 

 

Quick installation

“The SuperDeck system can be installed and relocated quickly, taking about 15 minutes to install. This produces significant time savings compared to many conventional outrigger loading platforms,” Casey said.

The load reactions are distributed vertically as the SuperDeck system is an integral part of the building, which creates one self-supporting structure. Each floor supports the other floors. These units allow for minimized crane movement as materials are delivered directly into the building. This facilitates improved labour efficiencies for crane crews, riggers and ironworkers. It also allows for the safer and quicker loading and unloading of materials.

The SuperDeck platforms vary in size from 2.2 metres, 2.6 metres, 3.2 metres and 4.2 metres-wide, allowing for a range of bulky materials to be deposited safely. The maximum capacity range for SuperDeck range from 2.5 tonnes to 5 tonnes.

“The reason for the different sizes is to accommodate different clients on different projects. It offers an advantage because we can give a client a 4.2-metre platform on one site, and then another client might only need a 2.2-metre platform, because they’re working on a smaller building or maybe a ship. It just gives them variety,” Casey said.

Preston Rentals chose to offer these units on a rental basis instead of purchase to ensure they could provide their clients with the right equipment for every project.

“We provide the flexibility of giving our clients the right product every time,” Casey said. “The cost to purchase and maintain the equipment is all on us. Inspections are all done in our yard. We perform a full pre-delivery and return checklist for every SuperDeck to ensure quality, safety, and reliability. ”

A wide variety of projects, including building towers, ships, underground tunnels, reinforced concrete buildings, structural steel buildings, mass timber and CLT buildings, have used the SuperDeck.

“On any construction site we can put these platforms in,” Casey said. “For us, it’s all about making things safer and more efficient for our clients so they get more productivity out of their equipment and workers.”

Efficient training

The units are designed to be simple to understand so training is as efficient as possible.

“Training is very minimal. You’re probably looking at 30 minutes of training then they know the ins and outs of the decks,” Casey said.

They feature multiple safety features including adjustable ramps, locking systems within the decks and harness anchor points.

Casey explained riggers are particularly fond of the SuperDecks.

“The feedback from the guys on the ground is that they love them,” he said. “They take them 15 minutes to install compared to an hour for a conventional outrigger loading platform. When time is money, this is a significant benefit.”

Preston Rentals goes coast to coast

Casey added Preston Rentals is ready to service clients of all sizes.

“Big or small, we service everyone. We currently have clients in B.C., including Vancouver Island, Alberta and Ontario, and we’re getting interest as far away as Newfoundland. We’re literally going coast to coast,” he said.

One of the driving factors for bringing these outrigger loading platforms to Canada was to help change the way the industry views its material handling procedures.

“We’re just trying to change the way the industry is thinking about its material handling and provide them with a better option then what’s out there. We’re all about innovation and solutions for whatever our clients throw at us,” Casey said.